Sonar devices that transmit sound waves have been used previously to obtain information about underwater articles, including fish, structures and obstructions, and the bottom. The sound waves travel from a transducer mounted to a bottom surface of the vessel through the water. The sound wave transmits from the sonar devices in diverging patterns. The sound waves contact underwater articles, which create return echoes. The transducer receives the return echoes and the sonar device analyzes the received echoes. A display device displays representations of the received echoes, for locating fish and other underwater articles.
The assignee of the instant application provides and has taught sonar imaging systems that are coupled to the watercraft to provide side scan images. Such systems include sonar imaging systems mountable to a motor (such as a trolling motor), a transom of the watercraft, or to the hull of the watercraft. These provide sonar imaging systems operable at multiple resonant frequencies for optimized performance at varying bottom depths. The teachings of such systems include those in U.S. Pat. No. 7,652,952, entitled Sonar Imaging System For Mounting To Watercraft, U.S. Pat. No. 7,710,825, entitled Side Scan Sonar Imaging System With Boat Position On Display, U.S. Pat. No. 7,729,203, entitled Side Scan Sonar Imaging System With Associated GPS Data, and U.S. Pat. No. 7,755,974, entitled Side Scan Sonar Imaging System With Enhancement, the teachings and suggestions of which are hereby incorporated in their entireties by reference thereto.
While such side scan sonar imaging systems have provided significant advantages to their users, they only provide a part of the picture of the environment around the boat from which a user may be fishing. Such users would benefit from a more complete picture of such environment around and below the boat.
Embodiments of the present invention provide such a 360-degree sonar imaging system and method. These and other advantages of the invention, as well as additional inventive features, will be apparent from the description of the invention provided herein.